Electric tooth brush



Sept.' 5, 1938. J, GOLD ELECTRIC TooTH BRUSH Filed June 15, 1937 J i??? l aca 0 Byf A TT ORNE Y Patented Sept. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

2,129,002 ELECTRIC Toorn nnUsn Jacob Gold, Los Angeles, Calif. Application Junens, 1937, serial No. 148.343

2 Claims.

This invention pertains to a motor'driven tooth brush.

Among the objects of the invention are the following;

5 To provide a tooth brush and a mounting means therefor of a small, portable type which can be more conveniently supported by the hand of the user during the application of the brush to the teeth; to provide an improved combined brush shank and a motor casing construction wherein is housed an electric motor for operating the brush proper; and to furnish an improved mouth guard to prevent the bristles of the brush proper from irritating the fleshy tissues of the mouth while said brush is being rotated by the motor.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates what is at present deemed to be a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a view of the complete device, partly .30 ofFig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the rotatable brush proper III is shown ashaving the shape of an elongated ovoid, the bristles II there of being supported, for example, upon a twisted wire shaft I2 which has secured to lts inner end an externally threaded sleeve I3.` Said sleeve I3 is screwed into a shouldered coupling member Il. Said coupling member is held in place by an internal nut I5 screwed thereonto, and has its bearing in the outer end portion of a shank I6, said shank being an extension of the motor vcasing I1.

Axially through. said shank I6 extends a passage i8 for the flexible shaft I9. the outer end of which is secured to the member Il while its inner end is operatively connected with the electric motor 20 by means of the reduction gearing 2|. The shank I6 tapers fromthe motor casing toward the brush proper, the outer end portion of said shank being deected in an arcuate manner, as shown. in order to enable the user more conveniently to apply the brush to his teeth.

The motor casing I1, preferably at the end thereof opposite to the shank I6, is furnished with a two-conductor cord 23 which carries a plug-in attachment 24 for connecting with the electric service connections of a dwelling or oillce. The motor housing 20 may be made sulciently small for convenient grasping by the hand of the operator.

The brush proper In is furnished with a bowed mouth guard 26. Said guard 26 has its outer end portion furnished with a resilient eyeleted portion21 which is loosely mounted upon a projecting end portion of the' shaft I2 having a 1o head 28. Said eyeleted portion 21 has a deflected end portion 21a for springing over the shaft I2. This eyeleted portion is rebent, as shown in detail in Figi 3, and itsrebent portion has a seat 21s v to receive the shaft I2 and beyond said seat an l5 arcuate part 21e which is thinned at 21d to add to the resiliency thereof. The opposite end of the guard 26, also loosely mounted upon the shaft I3 by a similarly eyeleted part 29, and is furnished with a handle or finger hold 29a. Said 20 handle consists of a longitudinal extension `oi? the inner end portion of 'the wire which forms said guard 26, beyond its eyeleted part 29 (see Fig. 4). The person using the device will use this handle or linger hold to keep the guard 26 25 in a position to protect his tongue or lips while the motor rotated brush is being applied to the teeth.

It will also be noted that the rotary tooth brush may be removed and substituted by a rotary 30 massaging head for the gums, or by motor propelled implements to be applied manually from said rotary propelling means.

The Vflexible shaft I9 is shown coupled to the gearing shaft 30 by a coupler 3|, access being 35 aorded to said coupler by an opening in the casing wall closed .by a screw threaded plug I8a. Said shaft 36 has its bearing in a spider 32 carried by the `expanded base portion I6b of the casing extension I6. To saied shaft 30 is secured 40 the gear 33 driven by gear 34 secured to the mo tor shaft 35. The bearing structure is vcompleted by the extension 36 carried by the part |611 and the extension, 31 carried by the body portion of the motor casing.

The device maybe used either with or without the mouth guard 26. Said mouth guard is applied by springing its eyeleted portions 21 and 29 laterally around the shaft or spindle I2 to the 50 attached positions best shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

I claim: 4

1. In a device of the kind described, a casing having an extension, a motor driven spindle carried by said extension, brush bristles carried 55 by said spindle, and a mouth guard mounted loosely upon said spindle and extending from end to end of said brush bristles in a spaced relation alongside of them. said mouth guard having a laterally opening spring eye at each end mountf ed detachably upon said spindle.

2. In a\device of the kind described, a. casing having an extension projecting outwardly there beyond, a. motor driven spindle carried by said 10 extension. brush bristles carried by said spindle, 

